'OHANA

Nā Keiki ō Halele'a Athletic Foundation

At Nā Keiki ō Halele'a Athletic Foundation we encourage the strengthening of community. We believe with a strong connected community anything is possible. We were founded with the intention to bring people closer together through helping children to succeed in life. We as a foundation have a strong belief in Hawaiian values. We want to encourage the children to live a happy, drug free and healthy lifestyle.

" Being the founder and operator of this foundation I am a first hand example of how the children of Hawaii can easily fall into addiction with drugs and alcohol. Born and raised on Kauai I grew up like most kids, happy, healthy, full of energy and light. Raised by loving parents that cared and nurtured my growth. As I grew older I yearned to fit in and be accepted by my peers. Growing into a young teenager I did what most teenagers do when confronted with boredom. Started to go out and be accepted into the "scene". Within a few years found my self drinking alcohol and smoking weed. With the progression of addiction I fell deeper and deeper. By the age of 18 I found myself addicted to Oxycodone (Oxycontin) along with other drugs. Around the same time that I was realizing how severe my addiction had gotten and how much I needed help. I was starting to get involved with martial arts. Martial arts taught me so many things and was responsible for my decision to get clean and stay clean. After doing what was necessary and leaving the island for a month. I returned a new man. Uplifted by martial arts. I turned my life around 180 degrees. I started eating healthy, focusing on my mental health, exercising daily. I felt as if the old me had died and something new was born. Within 2 years of practicing martial arts ( kickboxing, boxing, wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, ext.) I went on to compete in tournaments through out the country (kickboxing events, MMA events, Jiu-Jitsu tournaments) With constant competitions my life became all about eating as healthy as possible and being physically and mentally in the best shape I could. After 5 years of competing I decided to attempt to create the same opportunity that saved my life. With Nā Keiki Ō Halele'a Athletic Foundation I hope to give back what was gifted to me many years ago.....A path, a way out of darkness and into the light."